Name:
ID:
Yara Tamer El Said Srour
120230149
Group:
ECE ( Monday: 4th Period )
Report:
Midterm Assignment.
Midterm Assignment
Mohamed (Egyptian):
Welcome to Saqqara! You're standing in front of one of the most important monuments in the
world — the Step Pyramid of Djoser.
Sakura (Japanese):
Thank you! It's so impressive. I thought the pyramids of Giza were the oldest. Is this older?
Mohamed:
Yes, it is. The Step Pyramid of Djoser was built around 4700 years ago, during the Third Dynasty. It’s
actually the first pyramid ever constructed by the ancient Egyptians. Before this, tombs were just
simple, flat structures called mastabas.
Sakura:
That's fascinating. Who designed it?
Mohamed:
It was designed by a brilliant man named Imhotep. He wasn’t just an architect — he was also a
physician, a priest, and later Egyptians worshiped him as a god of wisdom and healing.
Sakura:
Wow, he must have been a true genius. How did he come up with the idea of the pyramid?
Mohamed:
It started with a mastaba. Imhotep decided to stack several mastabas on top of each other,
gradually making them smaller as they rose. The result was this — the first step pyramid in history.
It’s a revolutionary idea that changed everything about royal tombs after that.
Sakura:
It’s amazing to think that this idea led to all the later pyramids. How tall is it?
Mohamed:
The Step Pyramid is about 62 meters high. At the time it was built, it was the tallest human-made
structure in the world. The base measures about 125 meters by 109 meters. It’s really impressive,
considering they didn’t have modern technology.
Sakura:
Yes, it’s incredible! How did they build it without cranes or machines?
Mohamed:
They relied on manpower and very simple tools. They used copper chisels, wooden sledges, and
ropes. The stones were transported manually. It took an enormous amount of labor and
organization — but it showed the strength and unity of ancient Egyptian society.
Sakura:
What about inside the pyramid? Is it empty?
Mohamed:
Not at all. Beneath the pyramid, there’s a complex network of tunnels, about 5.5 kilometers long.
There are burial chambers, storerooms, and beautifully decorated corridors lined with blue
ceramic tiles, designed to imitate the royal palace.
Sakura:
Blue tiles? That sounds luxurious.
Mohamed:
It was. The Egyptians believed that the king should live as royally in the afterlife as he did in life.
They made sure to create a beautiful, eternal home for his spirit.
Sakura:
And King Djoser is buried here?
Mohamed:
Yes, deep inside. His burial chamber was made from solid granite. Interestingly, the entrance to the
burial chamber is from the top, which was unusual. They also found a life-sized statue of Djoser
nearby, so his spirit — the ba — could recognize its body and resting place in the afterlife.
Sakura:
The ba? What does that mean?
Mohamed:
The ancient Egyptians believed that the soul had several parts. The ba was one of them — it was
like the personality or the essence of a person. They believed the ba could travel between the world
of the living and the afterlife, but it needed to recognize its earthly home. That’s why statues were
so important.
Sakura:
That’s beautiful and deep. Why did Djoser choose Saqqara for his pyramid?
Mohamed:
Saqqara was already a burial ground for nobles and earlier rulers. But Djoser wanted something
more grand. His complex here was huge — it included temples, ceremonial courts, and even
"dummy" buildings.
Sakura:
Dummy buildings? What are those?
Mohamed:
They were buildings that looked real from the outside but were solid inside — completely fake. They
were built for the king’s spirit to use in the afterlife. The real buildings were used during ceremonies
while Djoser was still alive.
Sakura:
It’s like he created an entire afterlife city for himself.
Mohamed:
Exactly! And another important thing — Djoser’s complex was the first to be built entirely out of
stone, instead of mudbrick. It was a revolutionary shift in Egyptian architecture. After this, all royal
tombs and temples were built in stone.
Sakura:
So Saqqara really changed everything in Egyptian history.
Mohamed:
It did. Without what Imhotep and Djoser achieved here, the Great Pyramids of Giza would probably
never have existed. This was the real beginning of monumental stone architecture in the ancient
world.
Sakura:
Thank you so much for explaining all this to me, Mohamed. It’s so much more meaningful now that
I understand the history.
Mohamed:
You’re very welcome! I’m always happy to share our history. Egypt is full of treasures, but Saqqara
is where it all truly began.
Sakura:
I’m really grateful. I’ll remember this forever.
Mohamed:
I’m glad to hear that. Welcome to Egypt — and welcome to the cradle of ancient civilization!